Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Tata Nano.

Tata's diminutive Nano will soon be hitting the market with a standard 30-horsepower, 624cc gas engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission. While that may seem a bit small and underpowered, those looking to spend just $2,500 on a brand new car aren't likely to complain. Plus, the combo is good for 54 US miles per gallon, quite the achievement, we'd say. When it was first introduced, Chairman Ratan Tata indicated that a diesel engine was likely soon after launch, and it seems he wasn't kidding around. Displacing 800 cubic centimeters and equipped with common-rail fuel injection along with a turbocharger, the planned twin cylinder diesel engine has been jointly developed by German powertrain specialists FEV, Bosch and Honeywell. So far, no pricing, horsepower or fuel mileage statistics have been released, but the oil-burner is sure to improve fuel mileage even further and will likely add a bit to the cost of the World's cheapest car.


[Source: The Economic Times]

Ratan Tata, the man and mover behind Tata motors, is doing a Meet the Parents tour with Jaguar's oldest and largest U.S. dealers. As the best businesspeople do, he is flying across the States to meet the men and women in charge of his newest brand. Incredibly, it is the first time he has ever stepped inside a Jaguar dealership.

Ratan has probably gone on the whistle-stop tour not only to get to know his dealers, but so his new partners could get a glimpse of the man they've all been wary of ever since Tata emerged as a front-running buyer for the brand. What were dealers telling him? They want they want a convertible sports car like the F-Type, a convertible XJ, and an even more upscale car to compete with Bentley.

Dealer reaction has been effusive. The head of Jaguar's dealer council -- who said India was no place for Jaguar -- reversed himself after meeting Tata, saying flat out, "I was wrong." And said Norm Aron, owner of a 55-year-old dealership in Illinois, "I'm telling you this: He's going to make something out of Jaguar. We're in good hands now." Score one for Mr. Tata, and please, Ratan, keep it up. Thanks for the tip, Mannix!

[Source: Autoweek]

If you have a passion for Tata-owned British luxury vehicles and you're willing to move to central England, then Jaguar/Land Rover may have the opportunity of a lifetime for you. The newly Indian-owned British marques are looking to fill 600 positions to beef up their engineering staffs that work on emissions performance. Both experienced engineers and yungins fresh out of college are needed, as well as a few HR schmucks and some purchasing and finance bean counters. The reason for the new hires includes tough new European CO2 emissions targets coupled with the fact that former parent Ford Motor Company had been supplying much of the brain-power to meet those targets. Many earth-saving technologies have already been developed, like an engine stop/start system for Land Rover, but more bodies are needed if game-changing products like the LRX are to see the light of day. If you apply, remember that reading Autoblog daily is considered a total asset by HR people.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd, Photo by madebytess
CC 2.0]

It looks as if Ford is finally putting a fork in the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors... it's done. According to a statement from Ford, which can be read after the break, the sale of the two British automakers has been officially finalized as of today. Ford also wishes the best for its recently departed companies and their employees. Awww, isn't that sweet? We're glad we can all still be friends.

At Jaguar Land Rover, things seem to be business as usual. The company has announced that its new proud papa, Tata Motors, has named former CFO David Smith the new CEO for Jaguar and Land Rover. You may recall the untimely death of Geoff Polites, the company's previous CEO. Today's announcement of Smith's new appointment comes right on schedule based on past information provided by the company. Smith has already been the acting CEO since Polites' death late last April.

[Sources: Ford and Automotive News - sub. req'd]

It's nothing new to have automakers pushing suppliers to cut their component costs. For the past decade and a half, many companies have demanded suppliers provide price reductions of 3 to 5 percent a year, every year, with varying degrees of success. India's Tata Motors is taking these efforts to a whole new level. In order for Tata to build a new car with a retail price of only $2,500 they need component prices an order of magnitude cheaper than other cars. One example is airbags. While Tata wants the Nano to be a very basic car, it wants it to still meet safety standards. The problem is that frontal airbags cost about $150 each. At that level, a pair of airbags would account for more than 10 percent of the cost of the car, clearly a non-starter. As a result, Tata has asked occupant safety systems supplier Autoliv to develop airbags that cost only $10 each. How or if Autoliv will get down to that price point remains unclear. It seems that features like two-stage airbags and systems that detect the presence of a passenger to disable the bag if there is no one there will have to be left out. In any case, it'll be interesting to see if Autoliv and Tata can pull this one off. Thanks to Asif and Yash for the tip!

[Source: The Economic Times, The Earth Times]

Click on the image above for pictures of the Brutale 910 R

Tata Motors, rumored to have been interested in purchasing a large chunk of Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta, could have some competition. Another large Indian conglomerate, Mahindra & Mahindra may now be interested in a controlling stake in the storied company. According to India Automotive, the potential exists to gain instant traction in the global motorcycle market by picking up MV Agusta, and the Italian company could use the extra funds from a large and profitable company to release a new line of more competitive machines.

Volkswagen, are you paying attention to all of this? As we've previously reported, the German automaker has expressed interest in purchasing an established motorcycle brand, even going so far as to mention Ducati by name. MV Agusta would offer instant credibility and would be a rather easy entrance into the marketplace.

[Source: India Automotive]

For decades, Ford has carried Jaguar like an 800 lb guerrilla on the company's back. And just as Ford is able to unload the money-burning British marque, the leaping cat responds by posting its first sales increase in two years. Jaguar's April sales were up a ridiculous 69.6% in Europe, and while Automotive News somehow gives credit for this sales success to Tata Motors, it likely has a hell of a lot more to do with the all-new XF sedan. Jaguar has 18,000 customers in line for the new 4-door, which has given sales figures a big lift while helping other Jags leave the dealer lot, too. The slow-selling X-Type and the underrated XJ also got a lift from the extra showroom traffic.

At first glance, it appears Ford's luck just can't change, as Jaguar is finally looking interesting just as the Blue Oval sells it off. What's more likely is that Ford wouldn't have gotten as much cash for the leaping cat if it couldn't dangle a hot-looking sedan to potential suitors.


[Source: Auto News (subs req'd)]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Tata Nano.

Up until today, there were no major automobile manufacturers taking part in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize. That changes with Tata Motors signing a letter of intent to compete in both the Alternative and Mainstream classes. The Alternative Class allows for the use of fewer than four wheels, though Tata's intention is "to enter a pure e-drive micro car" in that class. The more relevant Mainstream Class requires four wheels, a two-hundred mile range and the equivalent of at least 100 miles per gallon from a package capable of carrying four passengers. For this class, Tata indicates that it will enter a Dominant Electric Hybrid vehicle. We're rather anxious to see what Tata is able to cook up for this eco-friendly competition, considering that whatever engineering goes into the development of its X Prize challengers can easily be applied to the production Nano, as well as Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.


[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Tata Nano.

Indian carmaker Tata chose a site in Singur, India for the plant that would make the Nano, the world's cheapest car. Not long afterward, eleven petitions were filed in the Calcutta High Court stating that the purchase of the land for the factory violated the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. It was alleged that the government of Bengal forcibly took "fertile multi-crop agricultural land" from farmers for industrial use, which isn't allowed.

Earlier this year, the Calcutta High Court found in favor of the government of West Bengal (where Singur is) and Tata. Now another petition has been filed with India's Supreme Court over the issue, and the Supreme Court has asked the West Bengal government and Tata to respond.

The issue for the moment is that the Nano is supposed to go on sale in October -- but the next hearing over the land use petition won't be held until July. Some suppose a revised land deal might drive up the price of the car. Regardless, if Tata doesn't work out a production alternative, Tata won't get the head start it was hoping for on what could be a huge market.



[Source: Times of India via Detroit News]

The sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata means that the two British marques will have to look elsewhere for the parts normally supplied by Ford. Following the news that Daimler could be a supplier to both automakers comes word from Dr. Z himself that a deal is a distinct possibility.

Daimler holds a seven-percent stake in Tata Motors, which could make an easy case for Mercedes to supply Jag and L.R. with the necessary components to wean them off of Ford. Dieter Zetsche told Auto Motor und Sport that, "If Ratan Tata approaches us regarding the supply of components, we would be open to talks." AMG-powered XF, anyone?

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via Automotive News – Sub. Req.]